Disabled Wigan man's death: Foul play finally ruled out

The family of a tragic disabled Wigan man have finally been informed that police don’t believe he was murdered.
John HeyesJohn Heyes
John Heyes

John Heyes’ body was found in marshland behind his home in Marsh Green on November 4 - his having gone missing a fortnight earlier - and police immediately launched a major inquiry.

An autopsy carried out on the 35-year-old’s body proved inconclusive and officers said that there would then be further forensic and toxicology tests carried out with the results coming through in a week or two.

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Now, almost six months later, follow-up toxicological results have finally been produced which have convinced officers that they should no longer treat Mr Heyes’s death as suspicious.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman confirmed today that a file had now been passed to the coroner and an inquest is expected to be opened in the coming weeks.

Mr Heyes, who lived alone, had been missing since October 22 and a public appeal for information had been issued by police in their quest to find him. He had learning difficulties, suffered from both epilepsy and cerebral palsy and walked with a limp.

A detailed description was released by officers and 13 days after his disappearance, Mr Heyes’s remains were found in a marshy wooded area between Marsh Green and the Martland Park industrial estate.

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